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Nezett Karn
Geography Most of the terrain of Nezett Karn is dense swamplands. Enormous ironwood monarch trees dominate the the many islands of the swamps, turning them into dark, foreboding caverns. At a few select places, mostly large island outcroppings made of stone, light breaks through. These areas are both revered by the naga as islands of light, and the land surrounding them is fiercely contested for the sites of enclaves. One of the greatest enclaves is that of Pythos, unique in the fact that it is situated in a hollowed out monarch tree, rather than below ground. Pythos is a holy place; the home of the high priestess of their god, Askander, and a place where matriarchs from any enclave can meet in peace. Of course, a large part of that peace is the unusual concentration of naga, being as high as four or five times as high as most enclaves. The cause of the high priestess' fertility- or her iron bound control of her naga- remains a mystery. Another marvel of the region is the Gaia Well is a deep pit, choked by vegetation. The jungle that grows around it is unnatural; when cut away, it will grow back even thicker than before within a month. Plants grown there are hardier and larger than their counterparts, though the wild growth limits farming attempts. In addition, the vines that obscure the pit, while unremarkable to most other species, is a highly coveted drug among the naga. Finally, there is the Shai, a series of caverns that do ever deeper. Some of the deeper ones even have evidence of supports and torch sconces, leading some scholars the caves may have some connection to Malkavan. However, further study has not been mounted; most adventurers, having descended into the caves, either go missing, or return emptyhanded, having wandered in circles until they reach their starting point once more. People Nezett Karn is made up of a small population of a reptilian species, the naga. In appearance, from the waist up, the naga resemble the lizardfolk, but below the waist, they have a single, long trunk resembling a snake to replace legs. The society of the naga is made up almost entirely by the barely-sentient "slithers", who provide manpower for the elite queens, called Matriarchs. The slithers come in a few different forms, but three distinct subsects present themselves- the builders, who are large, slow naga possessing four arms, the soldiers, who are smaller and faster with red markings along their spines, and the workers, who tend towards blue and provide basic necessities. There does appear to be a high amount of variation in each subsect, however, with a few who possess characteristics from multiple classes, or even having an intelligence approaching that of most sentient beings. Slithers will imprint on the first being they have tasted the blood of; often, that is the matriarch of their enclave, though a few Indican nobles have taken naga as their personal servants in recent years. The matriarchs are the cultural elite; always female, they steadily produce eggs, though many do not survive to adulthood, in part due to cannibalistic tendencies among slithers. They do, however, command absolute authority from the naga who inhabit their enclaves- who, almost all the time, are also their offspring. Throughout their history, various matriarchs have always waged war: until recent times, no two matriarchs had ever inhabited the same enclave before. Recently, however, a matriarch had banded with her daughters and gained dominion over a significant portion of the region. Her cause was greatly bolstered by Silver Moon weapons and armor for her soldiers. Naga, as a rule, live in large, partially submerged, cities known as enclaves. There are no known instances of a naga living outside an enclave for an extended period of time; the slithers are too stupid, and the matriarchs too weak to ever survive. These enclaves would often be considered by most other races as uninhabitable- the spaces are cramped and partially flooded, and the tunnels are mazes. Resources The great ironwood monarch trees that dominate the swamp are formed of an incredibly strong form of wood. The cause is unknown, though it is currently suspected that plentiful sources of iron or some other hard metal, as well as residual magic from the Gaia Well, gave these great trees their exceptional strength. Unfortunately, despite evidence that it was once possible in the past, the knowledge to shape these great trees is lost to time. Another one of the great mysteries is the Gaia Vines that shroud the well of the same name. These plants, despite having no nutrients to sustain creatures directly, preserve well, and, when plowed into the ground, greatly increase agricultural yield among crops. Religion All matriarchs worship a god known as Askander, a male naga, but one who possesses great intelligence and cunning- far above that of the average or even exceptional male slither. He is said to inhabit the deepest places of the swamps. While artistic interest among the naga is few indeed, the high priestess at Pythos has a collection of wood prints, each depicting a naga, who, instead of the normal lizard-like upper body, has one closely resembling a human. Depictions vary, but most have him bald with a dark, pointy beard. References http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=17515496&postcount=8 Category:Regions Category:Regions of Telluris